I just found a save-the-newspapers action that I must admit I’m a bit sceptical of. It’s a petition for a week without virtual newspapers. The idea is that readers have no idea how much of what they read/hear/see is the result of free online news put out by newspapers. So, founders argue, why not unplug those free online editions for a week and show just how dependent the whole media machine is on them?
I’m intrigued by the concept — certainly, as a reporter for the only daily paper in Guelph, I often felt that even while many stories were written about Guelph issues, their source was our paper. I’ve heard my lead read on tv news; I’ve seen reporters from other media scanning printouts of my stories as they prepare to gather their soundbyte from the mayor; I’ve observed others taking notes of the questions I asked.
But I can’t help but shudder when people’s solution to the current media crisis involves reeducating readers in some way. I read the news online, all the time. It’s convenient, and I’d be woefully misinformed if I relied only on my print paper subscription. It’s incumbent on media to figure out how to make money from my reading, not on me to pay, out of the goodness of my heart.
Still, I’ll be curious to see what kind of waves this scheme makes.
- Know Newspapers online petition